


Voluntary Bros.

by brandywine421



Category: Fantastic Four (Movieverse), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-25
Updated: 2013-11-25
Packaged: 2018-01-02 15:37:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1058524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brandywine421/pseuds/brandywine421
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Dude, you could be twins, they tested you before they defrosted you to see if you were a clone or something, or if he was a clone," Clint said.</p>
<p>"I want to talk to him, I think.  I mean, a girl threw her latte at me last week for not calling her back and this dude felt me up at an art gallery yesterday," Steve said.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Voluntary Bros.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one-off extended drabble that was spawned from my NaNo project. It can also fit into my 'houseguest' 'verse for backstory. Since Johnny Storm keeps weaseling his way into my stories, I figured I needed to work out the connection between Cap and Torch. (Maybe he will leave my plot alone if he has a drabble to himself.)
> 
> (Also, I know nothing about karate.)

Steve walked into the designated community kitchen and returned Clint's lazy hello wave as he went to replenish his water bottle from the tap.  He didn't see the point of paying for a plastic bottle every time he was thirsty when they had clean water on tap.  Tony probably had it filtered anyway.

He took the seat beside Clint on the couch.  He trusted Clint as a teammate and as a friend and he hoped he would help him without asking as many questions as his other friends.  Well, he would probably ask but he wouldn't talk about it later.  "Can you help me with something?"

"Sure, Cap, lay it on me, you never ask me stuff," Clint said.  "So I'll do my best."

Steve smiled.  He usually confided in Tony, but this was something he wanted to keep secret to avoid further embarassment at his own ineptitude.  "Tony goes overboard with everything, I kind of want to do this myself.  Low key.  No questions."

Clint sobered.  "What's up?"

"It's stupid.  But do you know this kid?" Steve held up a newspaper he'd bought on his morning run.  Tony hated paper so he had to buy and read them before he returned to the Tower or he'd get a lecture.

Tony liked to lecture.

"Oh, Storm?  I've dealt with him a few times but the Fantastic Four isn't part of SHIELD.  Reed Richards is the only person that can piss Fury off more than Tony.  Think he's a lost relative?" Clint asked, curious.

"So you see the resemblance, too?" Steve asked, relieved that he wasn't crazier than normal.

"Dude, you could be twins, they tested you before they defrosted you to see if you were a clone or something, or if he was a clone," Clint said.

"I want to talk to him, I think.  I mean, a girl threw her latte at me last week for not calling her back and this dude felt me up at an art gallery yesterday," Steve said.  Tony had not been amused and it was a close call convincing him not to ruin the guy's credit in revenge.

"He felt you up, not 'tried' to feel you up?" Clint raised an eyebrow.  "And you were okay with that?"

"No I wasn't okay with it, but he was confused.  And this Storm guy obviously needs to learn relationship etiquette," Steve said.  "I was more upset about the coffee girl, I mean, she was really sorry, but they went out for two weeks and he dumped her for her sister."

Clint laughed out loud.  "You talked to her?"

"Of course I did," Steve replied, crossing his arms.  "She really liked him and he broke her heart."

"So you want to talk to Johnny Storm so you can lecture him about his dating habits."

"That's not the whole reason, but I might bring it up at some point," Steve replied.

"I really want to be there when you do," Clint said, smirking.  "I'll get his number, but you should probably be warned that Tony hates Richards.  Hates him.  It's hilarious."

"Is he an asshole or something?" Steve asked.

"He's smarter than Tony."

"Mr. Barton, I must correct you," JARVIS spoke suddenly.

"Shit," Clint whispered.  "Sorry, J."

"As you should be," the AI replied.

"I'll keep it in mind," Steve said.  "Consider him Voldemort."

Clint blinked at him.  "Seriously?"

"Thor loaned me his books.  I'm a Ravenclaw," Steve said.

"Wow.  Filing that away for future taunting," Clint said.

* * *

"How did you get this number?" Johnny stared at the blocked number on his emergency cell phone.

_"Um.  Hey, is this Johnny Storm?"_

"Who's asking?"  If the reporters had gotten his number again, Sue was going to kick his ass and he was already in trouble for the keg stand on Page Six last month.

_"Steve Rogers."_

"Never heard of him."

" _Okay, Captain America, just don't call me that in public."_

"Yeah, buddy, whatever – how the fuck did you get this number?" Johnny demanded.  No one was supposed to have this number - he'd behaved for months and this was not his fault.  "I'll have it traced and get a restraining order..."

The stranger laughed.  _"Look, I didn't mean to make this weird, but I'm, sort of, new here and I saw you in the newspaper and thought we should meet since we're basically twins.  Plus, your exes keep assaulting me."_

"I don't know who you are, but Captain America's been dead for, like, 90 years and if you're claiming to be that imposter from the alien invasion, then - "

_"I'm not an imposter.  Unlike you and Tony, I have to actually stay out of trouble to keep my reputation."_

Johnny rolled his eyes.  "Nice con, weirdo."

_"Well, when you figure out that I'm telling the truth, let me know if you'd like to meet up.  In any case, you should be nicer to your ex-partners."_

Johnny stared at the phone.  What the actual fuck?

* * *

"I still don't fully believe this," the instructor said.  Steve didn't know a person's eyes could go that wide.

Steve didn't really believe his own life, he had come to terms with having to convince every person he asked for help that he was real.  "I'd like to learn as many fighting styles as possible and I was told you were the place to start."

"But..."

He took a deep breath.  "Sir, I wouldn't be Captain America if I wasn't willing to learn new skills and tactics."

The Sensei's eyes flashed with determination.  "Of course.  Let's start with the basics.  Kihon."

"Okay," Steve said.  He was also coming to terms with never understanding people when they talked.

He memorized the teacher's movements and recreated them as best he could.  His muscle memory made it had to replicate them perfectly because of his own style but the sensei seemed pleased enough.

"This is boring, is this seriously how you spend your time?  There's a Victoria's Secret photo shoot, like, three blocks over."

Steve didn't recognize the voice but he recognized the face.  _His_ face.

"This is a private session, Mr. Storm, and I believe you're still paying off the last dojo you destroyed," the Sensei frowned.

"Aw, come on, Li, that was ages ago, water under the bridge," Johnny beamed.  He turned his attention to Steve, scanning him from top to bottom.  "Let's get out of here, Guy."

"My name's Steve and I haven't finished here yet," he said.

"If you're Captain America - " Johnny started.

"That's classified," Li interjected.

"Then you don't need any practice.  That's another mark in the 'phony' side."

"Excuse me, Captain, I'm going to go call security and the fire department," Li said.

Steve recognized the clench in Johnny's jaw and had to shake off the feeling of weirdness.  "No.  You said you worked with him, we can spar."

Li frowned.

"This room's fireproof," Johnny replied, narrowing his eyes.

"No powers.  But from what I've seen, you don't know how to fight without fighting dirty," Steve said.

"Ooh, that eager to bust your own face?" Johnny said, shrugging out of his jacket.

"I can't believe this.  Can I record it?" Li asked after a beat.

"You'll have to show it to Agent Harris before you release it," Steve said absently, sizing up Johnny's swagger to anticipate his style.

"Did you have plastic surgery?" Johnny asked, moving across from him.

"It wouldn't work on me.  And they already checked the DNA before they brought me out," Steve said.  "Flame off."

Johnny smirked.

* * *

"You're going to have to explain this to my sister," Johnny said, holding his beer bottle against his swollen eye.

"I'm wearing flip flops.  You melted my boots," Captain America replied, frowning at his bare toes.

The bartender returned and placed two fresh beers on the counter between an icepack and bottle of aloe.  "This is going on YouTube stat."

Steve raised his hand and Johnny snorted as the harried SHIELD agent hurried over to the end of the bar

"You're really him?  The original flavor?" Johnny asked.  He knew the answer after the fierce sparring match at Li's.  No normal guy had moves like Steve.

"Yeah.  I'm supposed to be dead, I mean, I was frozen for...too long," Steve replied, his eyes distant.  "I was only awake a couple of months before the aliens attacked.  Everything's changed and 70 years is a lot to catch up on."

"Harsh," Johnny winced.

"So it took me a while to catch on that getting doused with coffee and felt up by random valets wasn't just a normal part of life in 2013," Steve said dryly.  "Watching myself burst into flame on TV and flying around like a comet was a little weird, too."

Johnny shrugged.  "I won't apologize for being awesome, it's a gift."

Steve laughed under his breath.

"You're okay for an old guy, I guess.  But this is weird."

"Everything about my life is weird," Steve said.  "You're arrogant and infuriating.  But some of my best friends have been assholes so it's familiar.  Since we're freaky twins against our will, I figured we might as well be friends."

Johnny studied him from the corner of his eye.  He could hear Agent Harris reciting the confidentiality contract in his other ear.  Steve had to be lonely.  Hell, it had been a long time since anyone wanted to get to know Johnny beyond the fire and bragging.

"They've got you leashed pretty tight.  You are, kind of, a legend," Johnny said.  "I'm probably not the kind of person you should be seen with."

"My second in command is Tony Stark so I'm not too worried," Steve replied flatly.  "And I could send her away if I wanted to.  Out of all the things I'm shaky about in this decade is the media coverage.  People go through Tony's garbage, we have to incinerate the Avengers trash internally."

"They'll only get worse if you hide from them.  I twisted my knee and didn't flame on for a few days and all of a sudden everyone said I was in rehab," Johnny said.

"I'm trying to roll out slowly.  Harris is doing me a favor," Steve replied.  He lowered his voice.  "I'm walking a thin line with all the red tape.  There's army stuff, and SHIELD stuff, and back taxes to deal with so I can't just call a press conference and declare open season."

Johnny nodded.  "My sister does my taxes, I could ask her to take a look at yours."

Steve smiled.  "Tony's got lawyers working on it, I think.  I don't understand half of what comes out of his mouth, but I trust him more than most people.  I'm the muscle, he's the brains."

"Sounds like Reed, you should see the two of them together, it's like Geek version of cagefighting, they do it with math and puns," Johnny said.

"I don't know, I always wanted to be smart, but I don't think it would be much fun.  There's no adventure if you know how it ends," Steve replied absently.

"Dude, you're pretty smart," Johnny said.  He wasn't used to stroking other people's egos but Steve was like a big, lonely puppy.

Steve rolled his eyes.  "Don't be nice, it's weird when you do it."

* * *

"Are you sure your sister's okay with company?" Steve hesitated.

"You're not making me explain this shiner on my own, old man," Johnny said.  "Besides, we're adopted bros now, cousins at least."

Johnny had the swagger and recklessness of Bucky and the impulsiveness and defiance of Tony.  But Steve could see himself in him, too.  "You also promised me shoes."

"I'm going to explain about endorsement deals and you'll have all the shoes you want for free," Johnny said.

"I don't need _all_ the shoes," Steve replied.  "Pepper has, like, a closet with nothing but shoes but there's a line, you know?"

Johnny laughed and hit the button for the top floor.  "I know nothing of this line you speak of."

He rolled his eyes.  "I'm already regretting this arrangement," he replied, nudging him hard in the shoulder.

"Watch it, you're supposed to pull your punches, I'm delicate," Johnny said, brushing off with an easy grin.

The elevator opened and a massive stone man stood in front of them.  He blinked.  "Do I want to know?"

Johnny laughed.  "Steve, this is Ben Grimm, aka The Thing."

"Please tell me no one's cloning you, one is more than enough.  What happened to your face?" Ben asked, his eyes going wide at Johnny's black eye.

"My fault," Steve said.  "It's nice to meet you."  He shook the big rock hand.  "Johnny said I have to explain it to his sister."

"You look a little singed yourself," Ben said, motioning to the blistered flesh on his throat where he missed a hit.

"He's not the best at pulling his punches," Steve said.

"Hey!" Johnny protested.  "I don't have superstrength, I was just leveling the field."

"Superstrength?" Ben asked suspiciously.

"He's Captain America, man.  Where's Sue?" Johnny asked.  "If anyone can get me off the hook for fighting, it's gotta be him."

"Didn't take you for a brawler," Ben said to Steve when Johnny had hurried out of sight.

"I was training and he, sort of, interrupted.  Figured I'd see what he could do.  But I'm pretty sure we're both banned from Mr. Li's dojo now," Steve said.

"What would Captain America need training for?" Ben asked, waving him further into the apartment.

Steve sighed.  "I was frozen 70 years, they didn’t really teach martial arts in the depression era."

Grimm's eyes widened as much as the rock would allow them to.  "I guess not.  Come in, take a load off and tell me what the hell you're doing hanging out with our resident deliquent."

" _I heard that!"_ Johnny called from somewhere.

"His exes keep harrassing me when I go out.  I'm not really allowed to go out in public as it is and when I do, I get in trouble for my doppleganger's sins," Steve said.  Ben laughed.  "I thought we should get to know each other if we're sharing a face."

"Who's got you locked down?  SHIELD?" Ben asked.

Steve shrugged.  "Yeah.  I mean, I'm 97 years old on paper, I can't really show my birth certificate at the DMV.  Plus, there's the whole alien invasion thing that's still on the news.  I mean, there are other wars going on overseas and the news just replays that over and over.  I really don't get it."

"You're really from the 40's?  Reed's going to be all up in your DNA if you stick around too long," Ben said.

"I've been told not to talk to him.  I live in Stark Tower with Tony and I hear it's a thing," Steve said.

Ben laughed warmly again.  "Yeah, Stark and Reed are mortal enemies.  It's hilarious."

Johnny returned dragging a gorgeous blonde woman behind him.  "See?"

Steve stood up when she entered, it was only polite, and offered his hand.  "Steve Rogers, ma'am."

Ben laughed again.  He was certainly jolly for someone made out of rock.

"Dude, stop making us look bad.  Sis, this is Captain America, it's his fault I have a black eye," Johnny said, bouncing on his heels.

"You burned him – Johnny, what did you do?  Sit down, Captain, Steve, just, sit down and let me check out those burns," Sue said, glaring at her brother.

"Oh, they'll be fine in the morning.  I heal quickly," Steve said, taking his seat again.

"You should have seen it, Li was impressed, well, before the sprinklers went off," Johnny said.

"What happened to the restraining order?" Ben asked.

Johnny waved him off.  "Li was too smitten with Cap to call the cops."

Steve rolled his eyes.  "I didn't get through the first lesson before you interrupted.  He's probably going to cancel my classes."

"Johnny will fix it."  She glanced between Steve and her brother.  "It's uncanny."

"We're going to be adoptive cousins," Johnny said, holding out his fist.  Steve shrugged and bumped knuckles.

"Oh God, what is he blackmailing you with?" Sue asked immediately.

"I don't have any family left and all my friends are dead.  I'm making new friends, sort of, and Johnny – well, why not?  Everyone says I'm boring, so he'll probably get tired of me eventually," Steve said.

"Aw, Sue, can we keep him?" Ben asked, jostling him roughly.

Sue sighed.  "I guess we can allow some playdates, but no more bruising or burns, okay?"

Johnny grinned and held up one hand in a scout's honor gesture while crossing his other fingers behind his back.

Steve assumed the thin unkempt man that stepped in was Reed Richards and the double take when he saw Steve made everyone smile, except Reed.

"I haven't studied cloning in months – what's going on?" Reed asked.

"Johnny brought home a stray and we're keeping him, for dinner at least.  Don't poke him with needles without permission," Sue said, kissing him quickly and heading into the kitchen.  After a long moment, her voice rang out.  " _Johnny!  You're in charge of dinner prep until you apologize to Mr. Li!"_

"You're not helping at all, I should uninvite you," Johnny pouted, following his sister.

"Who are you again?" Reed asked.

* * *

"Hey, how'd that stuff go with the Torch?" Clint asked, lagging behind after another interminable debriefing with Fury.  "It's been weeks, did you ever call him?"

"Yeah.  I have dinner with the family every Tuesday when the rest of you are watching that show with the Coulson look-alike," Steve replied.

Clint glared at him.  "Whatever, I know you watch the reruns on the DVR.  Seriously?  You have regular family time with the Freaktastic Four?"

Steve shrugged.  "They're nice and Johnny and I are bros."

Clint stared at him.  "Bros?"

"Yup," Steve said with a small smirk.  "He's fun and his sister gives me treats for every day he doesn't end up in the tabloids."

"She's really hot," Clint said.

Steve nodded.  "Yeah, but she's really into Reed."

Tony appeared suddenly.  "Who's talking about that douchebag Richards?  His name is never to be mentioned in my presence."

"You weren't even here," Steve sighed.

"I'm here now, so spill – how do you know about Reed Richards?  I redacted all mention of the Fantastic Four from your files," Tony frowned.

"Just because he beat you at _Magic the Gathering_ sixteen years, three months and four days ago, doesn't mean you have to hold a grudge forever," Steve said, picturing the counter on the wall of Reed's lab.

Clint barked out a laugh at Tony's stricken expression as Steve walked away, not hiding his smile.

 


End file.
